FARM: Finca Monte Alto
REGION : Tarrazú
ALTITUDE : 2000 MASL
VARIETAL : Venecia
PROCESS : Anaerobic Natural
Finca Casa de Piedra is one of two farms operated by Cafe Directo, a family business founded in 2013 by Father and daughter team, Gerardo and Jennifer Arias. The farm is dedicated to the production, processing, and marketing of the finest Costa Rican Tarrazú coffees in harmony with the environment. Directo’s vision is to contribute to the development of our society through fair and ethical trade.
Its founders have over thirty years of experience in the production and processing of specialty microlots qualities including naturals, yellow, red, and black honey, anaerobic, semi-washed and fully washed processes.
The unique conditions on the farm - in particular its microclimate and soil type, as well as elevations up to 1,800 masl - allow for a wide range of varieties to flourish, including Catuai, Pacamara and Gesha.
The full details of the Finca Casa de Piedra anaerobic process are a closely guarded family secret. However here is what we do know:
Cherry selection is paramount. Brix readings are taken to ensure the cherries are harvested at the optimum time. The cherries are then pre-dried on cemented patios for 48 hours, prior to fermentation. Extended cherry fermentation is carried out in plastic tanks without valves. Temperature is controlled throughout the fermentation process and Brix is monitored, as well as the aroma and appearance of the pulp.After fermentation the cherries are dried on raised beds for an average of 30 days.
Coffee came to Costa Rica as early as 1779 and within 50 years was generating more revenue than any other crop, but by the 1830’s they were growing more coffee than the ships heading south could take. And virtually no infrastructure existed for transporting even a small amount of green coffee to the east coast of Costa Rica (where London was a mere 5,000 miles away). The distribution woes of Costa Rican coffee producers reached the ears of an up-and-coming shipping magnate named William Le Lacheur in 1841 and on Christmas day, 1841 he sailed The Monarch into port at Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and thus began a long and mutually beneficial relationship. On one voyage to London in late in 1843, the Monarch carried more than half a million pounds of Costa Rican coffee.
Costa Rica’s coffee industry is well established and successful. Producing more commonly SHB – Strictly Hard Beans from high altitude growing regions, these coffees are well cared for, washed and processed accordingly. At the forefront of the micro-mill revolution, cooperatives have flourished in recent years, and individual communities as well as estates have made a name for themselves in the wider speciality coffee sector.
Costa Rican flavours invoke chocolate undertones and full bodied, rich mouthfeel. Notes of lemon, sherbet, honey and caramel are also present – making Costa Rican coffee great for espresso based coffees, but also, given the right fruit components, a perfect pour over too.
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